In the past, there has been a method of forming a label with glue. A method of printing a pattern on a label sheet, in which a back surface to which an adhesive is applied, is detachably attached to a release sheet, and cutting the label sheet in an arbitrary shape using a blade is generally used as the method of forming a label.
The method of forming a label does not have any particular problems when a large number of labels are formed. However, when a small number of labels are formed, the manufacturing costs of a blade, which is used to cut a plate on which a pattern is printed and the pattern, are basically high. As a result, there is a problem in that the unit price of a label is increased.
The present applicant has proposed a method of forming a label by transferring a toner-like composition onto a release sheet, which includes an adhesive layer on the surface thereof, in an arbitrary shape using an electrophotographic system and heating the toner-like composition as described in Japanese Patent No. 4765810.
Meanwhile, a method and apparatus for directly printing a design on an object, which is to be printed, using an inkjet printer is proposed in JP-A-07-336466 and JP-A-08-207263, as a method of printing designs, such as desired images or logos, on fabric products, such as T-shirts, trainers, and work clothes, wood, metal plate, and the like.
Further, an apparatus for directly printing on fabrics such as clothes using a thermal transfer printer is proposed in JP-A-11-157139.
Furthermore, a method and apparatus for thermally transferring an image onto a printing medium using an iron or the like after printing the image on a transfer sheet are proposed in JP-A-05-077557 and JP-A-09-087980.
However, since a release sheet on which an adhesive is applied in advance is used in Japanese Patent No. 4765810, there are problems in that the release sheet is expensive and a problem such as transformation processing for removing adherence on the surface exposed to an adhesive outside the outline of the label is required after development processing.
The inkjet printer and the direct printing method using the thermal transfer printer disclosed in JP-A-07-336466, JP-A-08-207263, and JP-A-11-157139 are effective when a large number of labels having the same shape are formed or when a label having a large size is formed. However, since methods of conveying an object to be printed to a printer are different when the size of an object to be printed is small (for example, clothes) or when a small quantity batch production of labels having different shapes is performed, the formation of the labels is troublesome.
Moreover, a method of thermally transferring an image onto an object to be printed after forming the image on a transfer sheet as in JP-A-05-077557 does not have the problems of the above-mentioned methods in that the shape of an object to be printed is not selected. However, since the size of the transfer sheet is fixed (for example, A4 or A3 is often used), the shapes to be transferred onto an object to be printed should be separately formed.
A method of JP-A-09-087980 is a method of forming a shape by using two transfer sheets and thermally transferring the shape onto an object to be printed, and is a method having solved these problems. However, it is troublesome in that two transfer sheets are used and a thermal transfer operation needs to be performed twice. Further, practically, the temperature, pressing pressure, and the like at the time of transfer of each sample to be formed are different, and skill is required for the work.